It was Chihiro, not Haku who unsheathed his broadsword, and Chihiro, not Haku that pointed the weapon against her enemy, ready to defend herself when he would attack her. "I wouldn't do that if I were you," she told him. "If you attacked me, you would most certainly have injured me and I won't be any use to anyone right now." Her brown eyes threatened war, and being the one blessed by the Light, her anger would be terrifying.
However, the decaying Carp did not flinch at all. "You know, my dear girl, those old superstitions do not apply any more, am I not correct?" he asked her. "Unlike most of the Spirits that you might know, and perhaps even that Dragon who claims to love you, I happen to know a little about human biology. Forgive me if I sound crude, but, do you not bleed every now and then, as a female of your race?"
She had to give him one thing, that Carp was good in his research. It also meant that she no longer would have any advantage above anyone who wanted her dead. It was not a good situation, not a good one at all. They were in a library for Heaven's sakes, how were they supposed to get out?
Let your heart guide you to what you seek
Those words sewn onto the tapestry in front of the library was enough to inspire a brilliant idea in the young woman, and without wasting a second further, she hacked at the arm of the Carp (who was in his human-like form at the time), and started to run in the opposite direction with Haku immediately behind her.
"Chihiro, where are we going?" Haku asked, looking back at the Carp, who was now nursing the great gash that he was sporting, as Chihiro returned him his weapon. Judging by his injury and the abilities of the Carp, he knew that it would not be long before their enemy would have caught up with them. And, due to the sheer concentration of bookshelves and staircases around them, it would not do them any good for him to fly their way around with Chihiro on his back.
"We're finding another way out," she answered, stopping only for a moment to decide which turning she should take. She was sure that they were soon approaching the western walls of the library, because she could hear the sounds of the train from afar. In her time in the bathhouse as a child, she and Rin shared a room with the other female workers in the western face of the bathhouse, and it would be there that they will find their exit. "The door's most likely concealed, to act as an emergency escape and also to prevent anyone from sneaking anything out…"
It was not herself talking, but the inspiration that came with the energies of the library, not that any one of them would like to complain about that. However, it was more than enough proof to Haku that she was more than just a human, bound with limitless power or not, and that she belonged to his world, the world they were currently in, just as he had belonged to hers as a guardian and a God.
About ten minutes later, they reached the western walls, but found nothing but windows from end to end. "I don't understand…" she sighed, looking towards Haku, and back at the walls. "There should have been a…"
"Perhaps, my love, it is time to improvise," Haku interjected, and held Chihiro by her waist. With his sword, he broke the ornate glass windows before them and leapt out before warning her to hold onto him as tightly as she could. There was not much distance between their current altitude and the train-tracks below them, and Chihiro prayed that Haku was able take his Dragon's form before they hit the tracks or the freezing water below them. And thankfully for her, he did not disappoint at all.
Just several meters above the surface of the great lake, they were covered in a shower of pinkish-white scales, and once again, she was upon Haku's back, holding on to his antlers as he began to climb higher into the skies. "Where are we going to?" she asked him, but before he could even answer, they were stopped by a bolt of lightning that cracked right before their eyes.
There was no doubt that the Carp was able to follow them, and when Chihiro removed her arm that she used in vain to shield her eyes from the blinding light of the lightning, she saw the Carp standing right before them in mid-air. Haku delivered a great roar and swiped at him with his sharp talons, but the attack was evaded by the Carp by use of his own broadsword.
Of course, the strategy at the moment was not to take the opponent out by the use of magic and the other powers that they possessed. The former would take too much time, and thus, it was down to the age-old duel of skill, complemented with brains and brawn. And this was where Haku, despite his immense power and dexterity, was slightly on the losing end.
Haku was young, and even if he was over five thousand years old, in all technicality, and due to his physical rebirth and rejuvenation at the end of Chihiro's previous incarnation, he was in every sense of the word, little more than a boy. Whatever experience that he could have all those long years ago, had been negated. However, it did not mean that he was any less a fighter.
As all warriors knew, Haku realized that it was of utmost importance that he drew the Carp as far away from the water as possible, because as with all water-bound Spirits, the Carp would be able to heal from whatever injuries that he would sustain, thus, negating the wound that Chihiro had dealt upon his sword-hand.
His mission now was to gain altitude, and to gain it fast. Dragons were not only bound to water, they were bound to the skies as well, and that was where he could gain the advantage. Many blows were exchanged between Carp and Dragon as they soared higher and higher into the clouds, with Chihiro helping Haku out whenever she could with his broadsword that he had thrust into her hands just before they flew out of the window.
"Haku…" she stuttered out of a sudden, when they were so high up that the air was cold and frigid, where the plains below them, nothing but little squares of green. "I can't breathe…" He had forgotten that she was human, and that humans could not breathe after a certain altitude, and left with no choice, the Dragon descended, which both astonished and pleased the Carp.
This boy was different from how the Tortoise had described to him, and how he had known him through hearsay. The apprentice of Yubaba was a cold figure, ruthless and without a conscience, the rumors sounded about a decade ago, and whatever the Witch wanted, the Dragon would see it done. But now, the youth would even sacrifice any chance of victory for the welfare of the one he loved… it was admirable, although it was futile.
"Your compassion is great, boy," the Carp said, appearing before Haku's snout. Acrobatic, showy attacks would not work with this pair. He needed a direct move, one that could not be blocked or parried at this range. The girl was barely recovering from her bout of breathlessness mere moments ago, and he knew that it was the time to strike.
Dragons, in the Spirit-Realm, were on top of the food-chain, back in their more… animalistic days. They were masters of the water and the skies, and no one dared to challenge them. The Carp used this common fact to his gain, and lunged his sword onto the young Dragon's right shoulder, an aerial attack. The cut was so deep that even the bones of the young Dragon could be seen, the new wound glistening immediately with blood as red as rubies from the center of the earth.
"Haku!" Chihiro shouted as the boy roared in pain. They were losing altitude and they were losing it fast. She had to do something before the Carp was able to advance upon her, and waited until the blasted fish was near enough. Seconds later, the time to strike arrived, and she slashed the Carp across the chest, sending him plummeting down. "Haku, are you alright?"
The Dragon let out a low growl. I will live, my love, his voice seeped into her mind. How is the Carp, is he following us? Chihiro looked around them and shook her head. Good… He did not speak to her further, knowing that he must reserve what was left of his strength to bring them to safety. The Carp was old and sly, and he would most certainly appear wherever they least expected him to. The only thing they could do now was to return to his lake, where he could heal from his injuries.
He just hoped that they would arrive there before he bled to death.
"Quick, Haku-sama is returning!"
The aquatic spirits of Haku's lake were running hither and dither, eagerly preparing for their master's return. The God of the lake had a connection with those who gave him their allegiance, and they knew when exactly he would return to them and the lake's waters.
The fishes, the ducks, the frogs and even the resident swan that migrated there from Russia quickly ran into his palace to draw his bath and make sure that everything was spick and span, ready for him. In their hearts, they counted the seconds until their master would dive into the lake in the form of the elegant white Dragon that he was, greeting them with a stern smile.
So, it could be safely said that they were shocked to the end of their wits to find their Master bloodied and panting, in the likeness of a black-haired human youth with a strange woman by his side, holding his sacred weapon. "Haku… Haku!" the woman called his name to no avail, their master was going in and out of consciousness sooner than one could blink an eye.
"Quick, get the bandages," Mother Duck said to one of her daughters, but Haku held up his hand.
"No… take Chihiro and leave," Haku instructed, turning towards them. "Bring her to Zeniba's cottage… this is an… order…"
The human woman, apparently named Chihiro, was not so easily swayed. "I won't leave you, not when you're like this!" she exclaimed, clinging onto their master all the more. There were tears in her eyes, and his blood was all over her hands and face. "You've given everything to protect me, I can't abandon you!"
Haku coughed, but opened his eyes, and held his hand to the back of her head. "My love, you have done more than enough to aid me," he said to her. "Your life means more than anything I hold dear, Chihiro. You must leave now. I will catch up with you."
"No, you won't!" she interrupted. She was crying, and the Spirits around them stood there, astounded. She took up the master's sword, and did the unthinkable.
She cut her palm, and drew the blood into her mouth. Through a kiss, she passed her own blood to the Master, and even smeared some on his injured shoulder… What was the girl doing? What good would any human blood do to help their master, a Dragon and a God?
"Look, mama, look!" Mother Duck's daughter shouted, when bright light started to envelope their master. It was white, and it was blinding, so much so that none of them could open their eyes in a long while, but when the light had subsided, they were all amazed and awed.
Something had happened, and their master was well again. "My love…" their master said to the human, and quickly enveloped her in his arms. It was a touching moment indeed. "Once again you have saved me, once again you have proven that I owe everything I have to you."
And then, it was clear to the other Spirits that called Haku's lake their home. The woman in question was none other than Ogino Chihiro, the one who dared to challenge the great Witch Yubaba, and won, and the one who held their master's heart, for although he never once revealed it, they could sense it from him, and from the waters that they called their home.
HAN: And how did you like this chapter? Now, for review replies.
Capital E: I never said that I was above anything of my basest qualities (ie, LOTR-super nerd), ahahahaha ^.^ YOU were the one who gave me free rein in this challenge, so live with it. As for Haku's "Western"-ness, I would think that it is his current personlity, ie, the one we all know, merging with that of his past, which Miyazaki does not have any clue of, MUAHAHAHA. Doncha think? I'll "belanja" (treat) you whatever you wish if you can spot something from one of my favorite anime here! ^.^
Epsilon Team Captain Handle: Well, that's for you to find out and me to figure out, aahahahaha.
Well guys, thanks for reading and enjoying this fic so far! I really did not know that I could drag it to this length, and I think we've only passed the halfway mark. Hopefully, it is not so, as I plan to finish this fic as soon as the coming Monday. But by the looks of it, I think that it's a little impossible. We'll see, will we not?
